The Travelers of the Heavens

May 7, 1939. Guilin, Guangxi, Southern Front Corps Provisional Headquarters

"According to the intelligence collected by us and the Japanese before the war, the terrain of Kunlun Pass is difficult and easy to defend but difficult to attack. Now our army cannot deploy and it will not be easy to capture it," a major general commander of the Southern Front Corps said in front of the map.

"What about Dashanghuan and Jinling? Our army captured these big cities in just seven days. Can a small Kunlun Pass block the advance of our army? Chi Lian said contemptuously.

Although the terrain was not favorable to her, she firmly believed that the fierce artillery fire would be enough to level the Kunlun Pass. When the time came, the troops would cross the Kunlun Pass and march straight to Nanning like an outing.

"Have the people sent out come back?" Chi Lian asked again

"Not yet," said a division commander

"When the people sent out come back, we will march to Kunlun Pass. You all listen to me, don't be stingy with artillery shells, I will wipe this Kunlun Pass off the ground," Chi Lian said

""Yes." All the generals stood up and responded.

Nanning, Li Zongyuan and Bai Chongxi came here to inspect the defense.

"Commander Li and Chief Bai, Guilin has fallen into the hands of the enemy, but no trace of the enemy has been found around Kunlun Pass," said Tan Haoyun, commander of the 142nd Division of the 56th Army of the Guangxi Faction. The 142nd

Division has a total strength of 11,000 people and is a newly formed force. , the division commander Tan Haoyun is from Guangxi. He previously served as the commander of the 7th Army of the Guangxi Clan and participated in the Songhu Battle. Now because of the new army, he was promoted to Army Major General and served as the commander of the 142nd Division.

"Kunlun Pass is only fifty kilometers away from Nanning. If Kunlun Pass is breached, then we will have to rely on Commander Tan," Bai Chongxi said

"Don't worry, Commander Bai, I, Tan Haoyun, will live and die with Nanning." Mr. Tan expressed his loyalty.

"Jiansheng, I think you can transfer some of the recently arrived batch of M-made artillery and machine guns and give them to Commander Tan," Li Zongyuan said.

"Just as Duke De said." Bai Chongxi nodded.

"Thank you, Commander Li." Tan Haoyun expressed his gratitude.

In fact, Tan Haoyun knew that Nanning would not be able to hold it. His 142nd Division plus several local security groups had less than 20,000 people, while the Kyushu Army numbered hundreds of thousands, as well as countless heavy artillery tanks. , it’s surprising that Nanning can hold on

"Commander Tan, you have to defend Nanning for at least a month. Then I will promote you to the rank of army commander." Bai Chongxi made another wish to Tan Haoyun.

"Thank you, Chief Bai, for your support. I will definitely defend Nanning," Tan Haoyun said with mixed feelings.

""Okay." Bai Chongxi nodded.

Then Li Zongyuan and Bai Chongxi took a plane back to the temporary headquarters of Qinzhou Fifth Theater.

Just after the Southern Front Corps captured Guilin, the Kuomintang planes seemed to have forgotten them, and no bombers came to bomb them.

May 1939 On May 10, after the people sent out returned, the 269th and 270th Divisions of the 94th Army of the Southern Front Corps took the lead in setting off and rushed to Kunlun Pass, more than 300 kilometers away. On May 27th

, the 269th Division took the lead in arriving at Kunlun Pass and immediately built artillery position.

The 270th Division arrived on the afternoon of the 28th.

Chi Lian received the report and ordered them to start shelling Kunlun Pass on the 30th.

At 7 o'clock in the morning on May 29th, 96 105mm howitzers and cannons of the 269th Division Artillery Regiment began to attack eight Kunlun Pass was bombarded from different artillery positions.

Due to terrain restrictions, the artillery regiment of the 270th Division was unable to fully deploy, but they distributed part of the artillery shells to the 269th Division that had already begun shelling. The shelling came extremely quickly, and the defenders' positions were heavily Destroyed.

Defending the front of Kunlun Pass was the 228th Division of the 124th Army of the Guangxi Army. The division had a total strength of 10,000 people and 24 75mm field artillery.

However, during the shelling, most of these field artillery were destroyed, and a considerable number of them were left. The shells were detonated.

On the morning of May 31, the bombardment stopped.

Most of the first line of defense in front of Kunlun Pass was destroyed, and the Guangxi 228th Division suffered more than 3,000 casualties.

"quick! Return to the battlefield!"A Guangxi regiment leader greeted his men.

The surviving Guangxi soldiers ran back to their positions to sort out their weapons.

Soon, they heard dense footsteps. This was the infantry of the 270th Division of the Southern Front Corps launching an attack.

"Da da da.. Da da da.. Da da da"After entering the firing range, the light and heavy machine guns of the Guangxi defenders began to fire.

"Snapped.. Snapped"

"Da da da da da da"

The Kyushu Army also responded with intensive rifle fire.

In order to suppress the defenders' machine guns, two 13.2mm rotating machine guns with bulletproof shields were pushed up.

Then a dense barrage of bullets rained down on the defenders' positions.

"Buzz"the sound of.

Just look at the blood and flesh flying on the defender's position on the opposite side. This is a scene where 13.2mm machine gun bullets tore the bodies of some defenders into pieces.

A large hole was opened in the first line of defense in front of Kunlun Pass. The 809th Regiment under the 270th Division filed in through the gap and started a close battle with the surviving defenders.

Soon the 809th and 810th regiments relied on their numerical advantage to occupy the first line of defense and simultaneously launched an attack on the second line of defense.

At this time, the headquarters of the 94th Army of the Southern Front Corps suddenly issued an order to retreat to the first line of defense. The two regiments of the attacking 270th Division quickly retreated to the first line of defense. It turned out that a batch of mountain-drilling artillery shells had been transported.

Immediately, dense artillery shells fell on the second line of defense and the Guancheng behind.

Among these artillery shells, the newly arrived Zhuanshan artillery shells accounted for a large proportion.

In just a few hours, Kunlun Pass Guancheng was turned into powder by the bombardment of Zhuanshan artillery shells. Except for a very few people in a regiment of the Guangxi 228th Division that guarded Guancheng, they successfully evacuated, and the rest were all killed.

After the second bombardment, the two regiments of the 270th Division launched another attack.

The Guangxi defenders on the second line of defense suffered heavy casualties in the shelling just now, and the surviving soldiers were unable to stop the advance of the 270th Division.

By the morning of June 1, Kunlun Pass no longer existed, most of the 228th Division of the Guangxi 124th Army was annihilated, and the survivors retreated towards Nanning.

On the old site of Kunlun Pass

"Reporting to the President, I am Liu Wei. Kunlun Pass has been wiped out by our army’s artillery fire. I am leading my troops to Nanning. Our army is moving smoothly and unimpeded." Lieutenant General Liu Wei, commander of the 94th Army, spoke to Chi Lian through a walkie-talkie.

"Very good, you immediately lead your troops to raid Nanning, and I will send you reinforcements." Chi Lian's voice came from the walkie-talkie.

""Yes" Liu Wei responded

"Pass my order, the whole army rushes to Nanning." Put down the walkie-talkie, Liu Wei called for the messenger.

But what Liu Wei didn't know was that on his way forward, the 241st Division of the 124th Army of the Guangxi Army and the 126th Army Division had already set up an ambush. , his 94th Army is about to enter the ambush circle

"Da da da.. Da da da"

"Hurry and take cover! hidden!"

"Snapped.. Snapped"

There was gunfire, noise and explosions.

This is the battle situation of the Guangxi Clan ambushing the 269th Division, the vanguard of the 94th Army of the Southern Front Corps.

Three Guangxi divisions were lying in ambush in the woods on both sides of a must-pass road about 30 kilometers away from Nanning. When they saw the Kyushu soldiers passing by in a long queue, they opened fire.

The 269th Division did not check for a while but was suppressed by three divisions of the Guangxi Army and could not move on the road. The 270th Division and the 273rd Division behind the 269th Division were also forced to stop.

"What's going on, why did you stop?"Liu Wei, commander of the 94th Army, got off the command vehicle and asked loudly

"Report! The 269th Division was ambushed and pinned down on the road." Someone reported

"What?! Tell them to ignore the enemy and charge forward with all their strength! Liu Wei immediately ordered.

So the 269th Division had to bite the bullet and withstand the hail of bullets from the three Guangxi divisions.

But Liu Wei did not let the 269th Division die in vain. He ordered the 273rd Division, which was closest to the 269th Division, to immediately organize artillery fire to bomb the road. The woods on both sides of the highlands were used to reduce the pressure on the 269th Division.

Fierce and precise artillery fire roared in, and the Guangxi ambush was hit. The pressure on the 269th Division, which was suppressed on the road, was greatly reduced. The

126th Army of the Guangxi Faction took the lead in evacuating the ambush position. , an hour later the 241st Division of the 124th Army of the Guangxi Army also withdrew from its position. The ambush battle was declared over. The

269th Division of the 94th Army of the Southwest Corps was ambushed until the three divisions of the Guangxi Army evacuated their positions. After more than three hours of counter-ambush, the division During the battle, more than 4,500 people were killed, more than 7,200 were injured, more than 50 cars were blown up, and 30 artillery pieces of various types were lost.

There is no doubt that the Guangxi army achieved a commendable victory, although they still did not It was able to stop the Southern Front Corps for too long, but it also caused a large number of casualties to the enemy.

In addition to the narrow roads and the fact that the troops were suddenly ambushed and had nowhere to hide, Liu Wei's order also increased the division's casualties.